Peter Gaucys

Approach:

We were given a name that was rather on-the-nose and asked to make it more evocative. Typography offered the answer. Incomplete letterforms, inspired by iconic designs such as the MIT Press colophon, point to the open and intentionally mutable nature of this massively ambitious initiative. Meanwhile, a family of striking geometric patterns visually differentiated the four main content areas of the program.

This assignment included supporting SOLVE leadership in successfully pitching our approach to the President of MIT.

Deliverables:

Event identity, event experience, collateral, and leadership communications. An engagement with Publicis Experiences.

INSPIRING LIFELONG LEARNING

Promethean Brand Narrative & Flagship Campaign

Assignment:

A close collaboration with Promethean’s brand team focused on articulating and activating the emotional driver fueling everything this edtech leader does: bringing out the brilliance inherent in all of us.

Approach:

Interviews with staff at every level helped reveal and map the territory: Promethean’s interactive displays are built for breakthroughs, empowering teachers to seize the flash of insight that leads to students’ lifelong learning. The new narrative gave staff and customers alike a rally cry that felt authentic and inspiring, and spoke directly to Promethean’s mission of transforming learning and collaboration for a better world.

Applying this to sales collateral, we situated Promethean’s flagship product in a catalytic space we called the transformation classroom — tapping a rich conceptual vein the brand continues to mine today.

Deliverables:

Stakeholder interviews, brand framework, brand narrative, staff engagement, website messaging, flagship product buyer’s guide, demand generation. A collaboration with Seattle agency Hotaru.

THE DEPTH OF LAKE CHELAN

Lake Chelan Regional Identity, Brand Narrative & Tourism Campaign

Assignment:

A crazy fun regional identity ask from the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce began with qualitative research and yielded the positioning “A Washington Original,” supported by an overhauled brand identity and narrative, a regional launch and rollout, and four seasons’ worth of multichannel marketing.

Approach:

Embrace the communities of Lake Chelan with a flexible and inclusive regional identity that captures Washington’s emotional connection to this unique natural resource — and use it to deepen existing bonds while growing sustainable shoulder-season tourism.

Deliverables:

Qualitative insights, brand framework, brand narrative, visual identity, collateral, stakeholder onboarding, digital advertising. An engagement with Publicis Experiences.

INDIGENOUS CLIMATE RESPONSE

First Stewards Identity (The Nature Conservancy)

Assignment:

Looking back at a favorite project, and an initiative that was ahead of its time in so many ways: the first national US symposium focused on the impacts of climate change on coastal indigenous cultures, and a platform for applying millennia of indigenous environmental knowledge to urgent climate issues. 

Approach:

First Stewards was a collaboration between the Northwest Treaty Tribes of Washington State, The Nature Conservancy, NOAA, and its host, the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian): a cohort bringing multiple perspectives, and intricate connections, to the table. A thorough exploration of naming possibilities yielded a solution that felt simple, direct, and inextricable from the purpose of this program. At the heart of the visual identity is a series of plein air tribal leader portraits commissioned from photographer John Keatley.

Deliverables:

Naming, identity, stakeholder engagement, executive comms.

POLYSYNCHRONOUS CONVERSATIONS

An ongoing series of artist interviews weaves creative voices and primary and secondary source material into wide-ranging explorations of the decisions and reference points — contemporary, historical, weirdly synergistic — that shape a given practice, image, artefact, or installation. Each text is edited from an intentionally unwieldy mix of synchronous and asynchronous exchange.

Recent publications include Still Turning: A Conversation with Lauren Grossman for the exhibition catalog Lauren Grossman, Pillar of Salt: A Glance Back, Traver Gallery, Seattle; A Quantum Entanglement with Saya Moriyasu for the exhibition catalog Saya Moriyasu, Spooky Actions at a Distance, J. Rinehart Gallery, Seattle, and Window One Year Later, ARCADE Magazine Issue 39.1: REFRACTION.

THE LITTLE SHOP THAT COULD

Established in 2018, my retail business is a lifestyle shop and exhibition venue for creators of all stripes. Each October, Orcas Paley’s annual, multidisciplinary group show brings dozens of artists and makers together in the exploration of a given theme. Year-round, its retail program is known for imaginative juxtapositions of found objects and hard to find artisan brands from the US, Europe, and Asia. Committed to the revitalization of downtown Seattle, the shop occupies a freshly renovated storefront in the historic Moore Hotel. Upcoming: Vide Poche: Pockets and Their Contents, on view October 17-31.

“A cultural treasure” — Beth Sellars